Sleepless
by 2-shadows
Summary: Jane can't sleep, so she visits her best human friend. Disaster then follows Jane. with support from her friends, can Jane get better?
1. Tossing and Turning

_**I DO NOT OWN THIS GENIUS. IT BELONGS TO THE WONDERFUL MARTIN BAYNTON **_

Jane groaned and rolled over on her straw mattress for the umpteenth time. She did not understand how she could wake up extra early to help Pepper in the kitchen, spar for 4 hours with Gunther, help Sir Ivon with his extensive weapon collection for 2 hours, help Pepper cook supper, help her mother put Lavinia to bed, go on a walk with Jester, go on patrol with Dragon and still not sleep. Jane sighed, running her fingers through her long, tangled red curls, and swung her legs over her bed so that her feet rested on the floor.

"Maggots!" hissed Jane through her teeth. She tiptoed to her window, and heard Dragon snoring-loudly, at that. Jane could not help but to crack a smile, albeit one with clenched teeth. Her best friend would be no help at all. Pausing at the thought, Jane considered an alternative. _Jester! It would be rude to wake him, but perhaps he would not be too cross?_ Jane smiled at the thought.

She walked the few feet to her door then paused, realizing her nightgown was a far cry from anything her best (human) friend had ever seen her in. Jane bit her lip, wondering at the propriety of him seeing her with her arms bare and her aggravating curves not wrapped flat as they usually were.  
>Ignoring what may have been her better judgment, Jane went down the flight over stairs to the courtyard, and knocked at Jester's window, hoping he was a far lighter sleeper than Dragon. She heard grumbling from inside the room and smiled despite herself.<p>

"What in the name of Caradoc- " Jester complained, then stopped short upon seeing his best friend. "Jane, though I care greatly for you, and I hope I can assume my friendly affection is requited, what on EARTH are you doing at my window 3 hours before sunrise?" Jester asked, his face stuck between expressions of exhaustion, frustration, and affection.

"I cannot sleep, Jester, and Dragon is not awake, so I needed someone to be with until morning." Jane explained pleadingly, giving Jester the largest eyes and best pout she could muster.  
>Some place in the back of her mind, and argument was taking place between two voices, one of which sounded, bizarrely enough, like Pepper, and the other one, even more surprisingly, sounded like Gunther.<p>

**Jane!** The Gunther voice hissed, **Do you realize how foolish and feminine you sound? How can you expect to be treated like a knight if you're using the same eyes on Jester that Lavinia does when she wants something?**

_No, Petal, do it! Jester has supported your dream more than anyone else. He, of all people, knows that besides being a knight, you are also a woman. He, out of all people, is the ONLY one to call you "Lady Knight!" _The Pepper voice said, using memories to strengthen its argument. Jane found herself giving into the feminine side of her far more easily than she had when she had argued with her mother over a ball gown. Nodding her agreement, she fluttered her eyelashes hopefully up at Jester, the Gunther voice yelling at her once more- **Jane, do not be a fool! Fluttering your eyelashes? REALLY!**- before she shook her head free of the odd, imagined voices.

Jester blinked before answering, an odd expression on his face. "Sure, Jane, come in. My door is not locked, so you can just.. um.. yeah.." He seemed flustered and Jane had to vigorously shake her head to dispel anything that the Gunther voice was preparing to yell at her.

As she walked into his room, Jane noticed in the dim firelight that her best friend was almost as red as one of Rake's roses. She looked down at her light shift, which covered only gentle undergarments, and felt her face heating up as she realized, for the first time, that Jester was even less prepared for a midnight visit- he was wearing only a light brown pair of leggings.

_That is slightly distracting. _Jane thought, suddenly stumped as to why she had come down to Jester's room. _Maggots! That is not just slightly distracting, that is VERY distracting. _**Come, Jane, act like a proper knight and leave! Can you not see Jester is very tired?** The Gunther voice said. Jane rebelliously and boldly decided to act in a way unbecoming of either a knight in training OR a young woman long since eligible for a courtship (but refusing to consider it.)

Jane walked over to Jester, took his hand, and sat down with him on his bed, leaning into his shoulder, her nosed pressed against his neck, feeling the warmth coming in waves off of his slender but surprisingly muscular frame. Though she felt him stiffen in a way that made her stomach turn in a way that was disturbingly pleasant, Jane made no effort to move.

**Why are you enjoying this! **The Gunther voice yelled, but Jane ignored it.

**_A/N: Reviews? Please? First upload I wasn't sure to continue but there was enough interest. I fixed a minor discrepancy and the author's note. Should be 3 chapters total, I think._**

**_Oh, I had someone mention they were having trouble discerning which voice was which. Bold is Gunther, Italics is Pepper, Underlined is Jester._**


	2. Lunacy?

Well, due to reviews from multiple people, I decided to go ahead and continue this story- after jumping around happily like some freak for about 5 minutes, I might add. Sorry to disappoint any J/G fans, this is strictly J/J. For some good, clean (well, T rated) J/G fluff, read **Miss** **Pookamonga**'s Voluntary Madness; it's freaking brilliant.

Oh, had to edit a small statement in the first chapter regarding whether or not Jane is allowed to "court" or not. I figured at 16, she's probably _allowed _to court-in that time period she would have already been married but she's Jane and the series is slightly different with that marrying age conundrum (even Pepper, who's a year older, isn't even really courting Rake yet, where as in the real 8th century she would have been married already, without her own consent) - it's that she just doesn't _want_ to, and her father respects that. (At least, he does in my mind)

I don't own this. The omniscient Martin Baynton does. *Sobs dejectedly*

But here it is! (I don't blame you for skipping that surprisingly long, rant-like A/N)

Lunacy?

Jester shifted under Jane, his face schooled into a careful mask. Jane looked into his tired face, recognizing said mask; he was upset about something. The dimming firelight weakened her vision, but she was used to patrols late in the night with Dragon, so she could see well enough to recognize that his blue-grey eyes held an expression much like their color, belonging to a stormy day. She stopped leaning into him and sat straight up on the small straw mattress, then turned so that she faced her best human friend, their hands lying between them. The Gunther voice spoke up despite Jane's best efforts to ignore it. **Finally, some common sense; now continue this intelligent behavior, and get out of his room! **_Petal, you must find out what is troubling him; he is always there to talk to when you need him. Be there for him as well, or your relationship will never take a romantic turn! _**Romantic turn?** Here Jane was inclined to agree with the actions suggested by the Pepper voice, though she was as confused as the Gunther voice when it came to any romance in her relationship.

"What is troubling you, Jester?" Jane asked, valuing her friend far more than a recently discovered case of knightly fright for her somewhat compromising situation. Jane felt her eyebrows furrow in concern. He looked at her blankly, saw her expression, then the blank mask slipped into an even more deceiving one; a confused look decorated his delicate features.

"Why would something be troubling me, Jane?" Jester asked. He put on a show of thinking thoroughly, though Jane knew he was doing no such thing. The young man continued, "The little majesties are doing well with their schooling, I have not had any problems coming up with ballads, and I even got a letter from my parents not a month ago!" Though the smile decorating his face was very nearly perfect, Jester's eyes remained turbulent. Jane felt a rock of apprehension forming in her stomach- if Jester would not just tell her what was wrong, what in the name of Caradoc was she supposed to do?

"Jester, may I speak frankly?" Jane asked nervously. Jester's fake smile disappeared, a true sarcastic smirk forming in its place.

"I'm not the king, Dear Lady Knight. You may speak as frankly with this Jester as you deem necessary. Though I suppose you could be even more frank than that, but I respond well to constructive criticism, not harsh words. That may have something to do with how I was as a small child. Always getting into-mmmph!" Jester looked down at the small, calloused hand covering his mouth, and then looked up at the young woman the hand belonged to. Jane quickly removed her hand, blushing for the second time in as twice as many minutes.

"You tend to babble when you're avoiding something, dear friend. What I need from you now, however, is not a long spurt of wit but to know why my best friend is troubled." Jane responded patiently. Surprisingly enough, the voices were quiet. Right. Because voices are not odd enough. Stated a sardonic voice, sounding like none other than the _handsome, muscular young man_ **whose room you invaded 3 hours before sunset! **Jane resisted the urge to groan- she had brought this upon herself by being happy the voices were not there to torment her. Now she had a new one! The female squire shook her head as though the motion would dislodge the unwelcome opinions and returned her gaze to her friend.

"Why is Dragon troubled?" Jester asked. The question was asked in a voice so sincere that even Jane doubted the sarcasm- until she saw the tiniest movement at the corner of the man's mouth. Jane shooed away some rather undignified comments from the Pepper voice before glowering at the blond 19 year old.

"Jest-mmmph!" Jane began, her speech prevented with the same technique she had employed only a moment ago.

"Apollo." He stated, looking into the fire. Unlike Jane however, Jester did not pull his hand away from her face. Rather, the surprisingly soft palm moved from covering her lips to cupping her cheek, thumb ending at her earlobe and fingertips just past her hairline.

"Pardon?" Jane asked in a whisper. Now the voices were going frantic and Jane could see that Jester would not be speaking soon, so she took the moment to quiet them AGAIN.

_Petal! He is touching your face! Does it not feel wonderful? Is your heart not soaring higher than you could ever go with Dragon?_

**Jane, you are a squire of Kippernium, training to one day fight to the death for your king, and a BOY is making your heart beat the way only a battle should!**

First of all, it is dark. People do foolish things in the dark. It hides our secrets, but it also hides our shame, our inhibitions, and occasionally our true intentions. Why, then, do you expect any different from a young man who is responsible only for making others smile? He has more terror hidden than can be uncovered in one midnight confession. Jane blinked at this- OF COURSE Jester voice was witty and wise.

Briefly, Jane wondered where the reason with HER voice was.

_Jester does not lie to Jane. He holds her secrets as safely as his own. In the dark he is the same as he ever was: a confidant, loving, and loyal. _

Perhaps this time he is not the confidant but the confider. 

**This is RIDICULOUS! Jane should not be here in the first place! **

It was at this point that Jane realized there was in argument taking place in her own skull, AND SHE WAS BEING EXCLUDED. She was unsure whether to be concerned or annoyed. A statement from Jester brought her surroundings back into focus.

"THAT is my real name. I wish- I wish for you to call me that in our private conversations. Not in public, because I do not think I am ready to let anyone else know. But you are my best friend in the world, even if I am not yours, and I wanted you to know the truth." Jes- No, Apollo said, biting his lower lip in a manner Jane had never seen, blushing in a way that matched Jane's own dull read cheeks. **The blushing is because you are ashamed to have bothered and upset him. **The Gunther voice suggested lamely. _The blushing is because you could read between the lines of his speech and you know he loves you! _Tittered the Pepper voice, which Jane found even less likely. Jane is blushing because Jester has his warm hand on her face and is rubbing circles on her cheeks with his thumb. Compromising situation or not, it makes sense that the skin there is red. Fools.  Jane could not deny the irony: the voice of the fool was calling the other voices fools.

Jane, please say something. Jane shook her head harshly, trying to dispel the voices. Jane, have I upset you?  She had voices in her head, drowning her out. Was she supposed to happy about that? Jane?.. Jane?

"Jane!" snapped the voice. The squire in question jolted, realizing her utterly humiliating mistake. The voice trying to get her attention had not been in her head at all; rather, it had come from a scared looking blond, whose hands were now on her shoulders, the warmth flooding through the muslin. Jane looked at Apollo, then stood up, resolving to go give him a comforting hug, propriety be damned. Perhaps he was only in pants and she a light night gown? He needed an embrace, as did she. Could a potential lunatic not ask for that much before being written off?

As Jane stood up however, there seemed a sudden darkness, as though all of the candles and fires had extinguished themselves, and Jane heard a thump, felt a sharp pain on her skull.

The last thing Jane heard was a cry of her name, the voice sounding utterly terrified.


	3. Waking

_**A/N: All of the wonderful characters I extorted (and am continuing to extort) belong to the ever envied Martin Baynton**_

Waking

_Jane? Are you waking?_

**Jane, if you're faking to get out of training, this is ridiculous.**

Jane? Oh, please wake up, Jane! The last voice was fervent. All three of the voices were loud; then a voice she had not had before- her mother's shrill but loving voice.

"Jane, my dearest, you must wake up." Funny, it sounded as though these were right next to her ear, none of the hollow voices had sounded like that before… Wait, before what, exactly?

Jane peeled her eyes open, seeing two faces above her, both pale and feminine, one lined in a short fringe of dull hair then an orange glowing circle, the other framed in loose dark hair. Pepper and Mother! Jane blinked, clearing the blur out of her eyes. At the foot of her bed was Gunther, arms crossed and eyes narrowed as though suspicious. Suddenly Jane realized the voices she had heard just recently were exactly that- the voices of her mother, her two best human friends, and that of her rival squire.

A blue clad, thin young man rushed to the foot of her bed. Apollo! Wait, no…. Jester. Here, they had company; here, he was Jester. Whatever she was to call him, his stormy blue grey eyes were shining in an odd way and his composure thrown to the wind. A deep frown decorated his face until he saw her eyes wide with concern for him. His features formed a smile, but unlike the night before-it was the night before, correct? She had not been asleep longer, had she? - he was truly smiling, not hiding behind a mask.

Scared of asking but even more afraid of being told with no warning, Jane allows the question to burst from her lips "What happened?"

While Pepper and her mother exchanged worried glances and Gunther left the room with a sigh of exasperation, Apollo/Jester filled her in. "I cannot be entirely sure myself. I was returning from the privy and I saw a candle through your window, not 3 hours before sunrise. I decided you had most likely left it on after your own trip to the privy, so I just went to my own room. I was getting settled when I heard a loud crash then a thump. I got up to your quarters; saw you lying on the floor, beside your bed, with multiple items strewn across the floor from your desk. You did not awaken when I called your name so I brought you down to Pepper and she sent me to fetch your mother. You have been asleep for almost a day and a half." Jane could only hope that her shocked expression was attributed to the surprising story, not how adept the deceptive skills of herlove BEST FRIEND were becoming. (At this traitorous thought, Jane wondered if perhaps she was a lunatic. Because Jane did not feel that way, correct? ... Where were the voices to agree with her? This could not mean.. She could not.. She did not.. Did she?)

"Poor boy was worried sick when he came down. Both of you in your respective night clothes too! Really, Jane, you tell me not to work myself to death but you allow yourself to try?" Pepper admonished. Jane tried to ignore the look her mother gave her when Pepper mentioned night clothes, though Jane felt that of anyone, her mother should be the most delighted to hear of Jane's comfort in a gown, of the night variety or otherwise, as opposed to sleeping in the exact same clothes she had worn training as Jane was wont to do as a 12 year old squire. Jane focused on Pepper rather than Lady Adeline and realized the just-turned-18-year-old chef was speaking "- and you might have gotten delusions! To think, all the horrors that come to pass when one is tired. It is a good thing you are not prone to poor decision making Jane or something terrible could have happened!"

Delusions? "Delusions, Pepper?" Jane asked, suddenly scared that her entire encounter with Apollo/Jester had been conjured up in exhaustion. She did not want to think of why that would bother her.

"Yes, like imagining you were flying or some nonsense while you were trying to study. Could explain the loud crash that Jester heard; the stones usually do not allow for much noise." Pepper said. Jane stole a furtive glance at Apollo/Jester, only to see a tightening at the corners of his mouth; the left side twitched and in that moment Jane knew without a doubt that her late night encounter had been completely real.

"I do not think I was delusional, Pepper," Jane started, knowing she had most certainly not imagined the feeling of Apollo/Jester's hand on her face.

"Well, that is very good. OH! The delusions can include imagining you hear voices that are not actually there. But I am quite glad that delusions did not affect you Jane; I hear they can be quite awful." At that, the women flounced out of the room, braid bouncing off of her rear end- it had gotten much longer in the past years, just as Jane's had, though Jane simply braided hers into a severe braid after wetting it so it would be tight, long, and out of the way.

"Princess Lavinia has grace lessons that I must promptly go to," the lady-in-waiting said, looking at Jester instead of Jane, "I trust you will come to me if anything happens?"

"Yes, m'lady" Jester answered respectfully, not tearing his gaze from Jane "You shall know at once." Nodding, the graying woman left the room with only her daughter and the young man- an action usually frowned upon, but neither of these young people was usual, to say the least, so Lady Turnkey had no issues with it. (Not since Milly had had a talk with her, anyhow)

"Apollo?" Jane asked nervously, unsure; was she was trying to get the man's attention, test the name, or request information? Perhaps all three were on her agenda.

"Roman god of the arts, intelligence, the sun... The list goes on and on, really. Apollo is special because he is the only Greek god that was not warped into a new person when the Romans adopted the Greek Pantheon." Apollo said, and Jane could see that he was fighting not to babble continuously. Jane noticed he had become shaky.

She then, of course, admonished him in a way that would have made Pepper proud. "Sit down before your knees give way! How are you supposed to report to my mother if you cannot walk?" As Jane said _report to my mother_, she had to bite back a scowl. She was 17 years old, a year past adult in the eyes of Kippernium. Her mother did not need to be so protective.

Apollo sat, taking deep breaths, his left forearm splayed over his knees, right hand pulling his heavy hat off of his head. "I was so scared" he whispered, placing his hat on his thighs, running his hands through his hair. The dark gold hair was plastered against his head with a touch of sweat, but the movement dislodged it. It was as long now as the adult men of the court (excluding Sir Ivon, of course, but he kept his hair short due to lack of patience with it. It was not uncommon for Sir Ivon's ruddy locks to appear uneven, as though he had gotten fed up with it while drunk and shorn it off with a broadsword.) "You would not wake up. You were breathing but you had a nasty lump forming on the back of your head. I panicked. It did not even occur to be that we were in our night clothes, or that I was running around the courtyard carrying you as a man would his bride." Apollo blushed furiously at that "I only said it like that because that is how Pepper described it! I did not mean- I would- I…!" Jane saw his apprehension, waiting to receive a verbal lashing.

Jane instead grabbed his closest hand and held it between her coarser, smaller one. "Breathe, Apollo, breathe. I'm not angry. And I was delusional when I fell unconscious, so who knows what could have happened had I not visited you? A tumble down the stairs?" She said, trying to soothe his nerves.

She saw that her plan had worked exactly the opposite of how she had intended, however, whe Jester began to rant again, "A tumble down the stairs; falling over the banister from the third or fourth floor, falling off of Dragon again, getting mmt my oue ummmmy?" This last statement was garbled due to Jane's palm over the young man's mouth. Still, however, he persisted. "mmm mmmph mmmt mmmp!" Jane had no idea what THAT was supposed to mean, and tried to think of how to get her best friend to simply shut his mouth. She pulled her hand away for a second "Or abducted by pirates or…" Though her mind had formed two tracks, both were confused, the second by what pirates had anything to do with exhaustion, the first and foremost by what she was about to do. Stealing a quick look out the window to be sure no one was coming, Jane used the limp hand to pull herself up into a sitting position. Apollo was STILL going, "or run into a tree and have a birds nest fall on your head and the mother bird would have attacked you! Or an eclipse…"

It was at this moment that Jane pressed her slightly chapped lips against the anxious jester's warm, soft ones, and Jane could finally enjoy silence for her splitting headache. Her beating heart, however, decided that it was time to start working at twice its normal pace, especially when the kiss did not end as soon as Jane had intended. That is not to say that anything too much more happened- it was still a chaste kiss, just a little longer, perhaps from the shock of actually KISSING her best friend. Jane backed away with a start.

Apollo blinked, dumbfounded. He tried to get up, but collapsed back onto the straw mattress, arms spread wide, knees bending at the edge of the bed with feet planted firmly on the floor, torso lying perpendicular to Jane's. Jane could never, in a thousand lifetimes, have predicted what the tan blond boy would say next.

"Marry me?"

_**A/N: I know, another cliffie! Sorry! I had to! Guess this is going to be quite a bit longer than the 2 chapters I originally intended. Oh, and is Apollo/Jester joking (or rather, jesting)? Stay tuned to find out! **_


	4. Talks

**_A/N: I'm sorry. I really am. But this isn't the last chapter either. _**

**_All of the brilliant characters belong to Martin Baynton_**

Talks

Jane could do little more than gape at what had just been said. Her mouth opened, shut, opened once more, and then finally shut. She blinked furiously.

The blue-clad man was not much better. Jane could hear the stuttering, "I… You... I mean… Marry... why… but… you… me… I… kiss… what… but…" Although Jane could not tell what precisely Apollo was trying to say, it was quite clearly along the same thought process Jane was currently dealing with.

She was very nearly a knight; there was less than a month until she was to be knighted! The irony of Jane's current thoughts was that she was not concerned about her own feelings-for she had to admit, now, to herself at least, that _yes_ she had feelings for Apollo, Jester, her best human friend…- she was concerned about her mother's. Jane was, to her mother, a young woman, noble by blood, eventually going to marry a noble. Jane had never cared in the least about titles, however; very few did around Kippernium, until it came to marriage.

"Jane? May I speak with you about… what just happened?" the jester asked, blue-grey eyes wide with... what? Hope? Fear? Jane's own mind was so cloudy that she could not tell.

"I suppose so, Jester. It would only be fair." Jane said, hating herself immediately for how cold and angry she sounded. _What was that?_ She scolded herself. _You kissed him, not the other way around!_

"Never mind, Jane. It does not matter." Apollo said dejectedly. Jane winced, feeling a stab of guilt.

_Jester, wait! I do not want for you to go! _"Jest- Apollo?" Jane asked, fearful of the truth but desperate to know. "Were you jesting?"

"I am a jester, dearest Lady Knight. For 12 years, I have done little aside from _jest_." Jane felt the contempt in his voice pierce her heart. She was too terrified to look into the blond man's eyes, to see the hatred she was positive she would see. _17 years old and finally in love. _Jane thought without humor, feeling her eyes prickle in pain, sure that tears were forming. _Maggots and sheep's brain!_

Jane felt calloused fingers grip her chin gently. Her face was pulled up, jade green eyes meeting tear-filled blue grey eyes. The pain in them was rivaled by hope, both pairs wide with both. "Jane, where your heart is involved, my jests will never go, unless express permission has been granted. I..." Here the young man paused, taking a shaky breath, still holding his best friend's chin in both hands, thumbs pressed over her lips so she could not speak. He continued, "I love you, Jane. And maybe when I said that; no, _asked_ that damnable question, I was not thinking completely clearly. The love of my life had just KISSED me." Here a small smile formed on both sets of lips, identical blushes decorating two faces, "But in truth, I have been waiting for you to be knighted to say something, so that I would not get in the way of your training. Jane felt a swell of love bloom in her chest. _Love. Maggots, I cannot believe how weak kneed I get because one good-looking man says he loves me. Maybe I should talk to Pepper about these ridiculous feelings. Maybe she will know why they feel so right! MAGGOTS!_

"But I cannot help it anymore, my lady-my love. I cannot ask you to dedicate your precious time to me yet. Perhaps, though, you will think of me after your training, and perhaps we can…" the jester swallowed audibly, "perhaps you will court me?"

Jane's mind became a storm of what-if's, why-not's, and curses. Then, of course, she chanced a look out the window, pushing against Apollo's hands to see an audience; or rather, an audience _member_, one with a particularly aggravating smirk. As Apollo turned to look as well, he quickly pulled his hands away from Jane's face, sliding his hands into hers in a much less possessive manner.

"So. Jane. Are you going to say yes to the fool?" Gunther asked. His smirk grew into a grin, though lacking the maliciousness the young woman had expected to see. "Because if you do not say yes, he may question your intentions of a minute ago." No. Gunther had not seen. He could not have seen. One more look at the squire in question and Jane knew that her rival HAD seen. But, Jane noted, he was not taunted her for kissing Jester-for to Gunther there was no Apollo- he was taunting her about her honor, as a knight would his fellow knight, regardless of gender. Perhaps it was time to face the facts: she was as much a female as she was a knight-in-training, and she no longer had the excuse of judgement, at least where Gunther was concerned. Jane took a breath and looked at the man holding both of her hands. In a rare show of nerves, the blue-clad man was biting the inside of his cheek; Jane could see the way the flesh pulled in towards his teeth. Steeling herself, Jane made a decision.

"Two things. One: I need to get dressed. I am sure I have a lot of work to catch up on now that I have slept. So you need to go." Jane started."She stole a glance over her shoulder. Gunther looked on in amusement. Jane grated her teeth, "Both of you." She turned back to the man who was still holding her hands, and felt her heart fall at the exact same rate as his face fell. She quickly continued, "Two: if you want to court me, you had better ask my father for permission." The jester's face lit up. He let go of her hands and pulled her into a long embrace. She wrapped her arms around his neck, enjoying the feeling of his around her waist. She revelled in the warmth, trying to ignore how fast her heart was thumping.

A cough from Jane's window reminded her of why she was getting up in the first place. She had things to do, and people to deal with. "Now go so I can get dressed." She said, lightly pushing her suitor- Jane shuddered at _that_ thought, but there was no other word- out.

"Yes, m'lady." Apollo said. Once he reached the door, he turned, took her hand, and lightly kissed her knuckles, saying "until we meet again." Jane felt her eyes grow wide as the man let go and shut the door behind him. She walked over to the side of her room and shut the window, Gunther telling her he expected a good spar as he walked away. She paused for a moment, eyes wide, one hand on her head, the other on the bed post.

"I need to speak with Pepper." She groaned, falling onto her bed, the second half of the sentence muffled by her face against the straw mattress.

* * *

><p>"And then… I kissed him! And he asked me to marry him-" Jane explained, kneading bread in the dark kitchen, taking out all of the pent up rage towards men, growing up, and feelings on the lumpy, floury mass.<p>

"He WHAT!" Pepper exclaimed, throwing her hands up so hard that whatever was on the spoon in her right hand splattered against Jane's left cheek. She continued "But you never even courted! He proposed! With NO RING! Of course, what else do you expect, after you kissed him? Oh Petal, what did you say? You have only a month until you are to be knighted! You do not have time for a wedding-" Pepper continued, alternating between stirring her stew and facing Jane with a frantic expression. "… cannot get married if you have no flowers, though I am sure Rake could find something.."

"Pepper…" Jane tried. She repeated the name several times, getting louder each time, to no avail. Finally: "Verbena!" This caught the chef's attention and quieted her temporarily.

"What? Oh, sorry Jane." The dark haired woman responded sheepishly, "It is just so exciting!"

"Pepper, I never even finished the story! He was just so dazed after… you know… that he said it. But THEN he said he has loved me for a long time and was waiting until after I was knighted to tell me so and ask to court me." Jane felt her throat getting thick as she spoke. She felt a little off balance but attributed it to the heat in the kitchen.

"Oh, how_ romantic_!" Pepper declared, spinning in circles, arms out wide, spoon dripping broth onto the floor.

"Yes, I suppose so. And I could not think of how to say yes, so I simply told him to talk to my father." Jane finished, eyes focused on the pathetic excuse of a pastry in front of her. A resound smack from wood banging down on wood startled the feminine squire. She looked up to see Pepper leaning across from her, palms flat against the table, a solemn look on her face. Gone were the excited fancies of marriage; reality had set in for the woman who herself was already married. Pepper and Rake had had a short engagement and a small wedding, only the castle children who had grown up together in attendance and the families of the bride and groom. Pepper and Rake had been married almost 3 years at this point. Pepper knew of gossip regarding young couples in the castle. Jane had a suspicion Pepper would say something about it.

"My biggest concern, Petal, is what are you going to do if people find out you kissed him? I mean, think of it! It is quite nearly a scandal!" Pepper asked. Jane winced, suspicions rewarded. She knew Pepper was correct. Kissing on the cheek was acceptable for young couples; more intimate kisses were generally frowned upon outside of the castle, though most folks inside of Kippernia Castle had been excited to see Pepper and Rake kiss when they finally announced that THEY were courting.

Jane did not know how to react to Pepper's worries, mainly because she was afraid to face them herself. _If people find out about THE KISS, it will be because I told the biggest human gossip in all of Eastern Europe. If she knew I had visited him in the middle of the night, regardless of how innocent my intentions were … _Jane shuddered at the thought. She loved Pepper dearly, but to avoid letting the truth of her night in the jester's room two nights previous out- that must stay between her and Apollo-she formulated her response carefully. She then remembered something Pepper had told her about a week ago.

"I am long past the age of courting, Pepper. I suppose I shall have to deal with a near scandal if I bring it upon myself. Besides, people are going to be far too excited about your baby to worry about a chaste" Here Jane ignored the incredulous look she was receiving "kiss between two people who may very well get married in the coming year." Jane realized half a second too late that Rake was coming down the stairs with the Princess and both had heard that entire last sentence.

In any other situation, their responses would have been hilarious.

"JANE IS GETTING MARRIED?" Lavinia yelled, her loud voice seeming quiet compared to the ear splitting scream Rake was releasing.

"HOLY PARSNIPS! !" The lanky man screamed. His voice reduced to a whisper "I am going to be a father?" He then promptly passed out, eliciting a much shorter, higher pitched squeal from his wife.

Jane raised an eyebrow at the cook, who was fanning the man's face gently. "Did he not know?" The younger woman asked. She felt horrible for spoiling the secret, though a little amazed Pepper had been able to keep it as such.

"I was going to tell him tonight, after we got home." The woman answered, and seeing her husband wake up, she stood only to have her hands grabbed by an enthusiastic 11-year-old with pleading brown eyes. Lavinia began spinning around in a circle with Pepper, an exberant grin on the face of the former and a worried and tired but geniune smile on the face of the latter. Jane watched them, feeling skin at her temples pulsating. Jane punched her lumpy dough one more time before turning with intentions to calm the growing princess. Her head could not take much more squealing.

"Is Jane really getting married this time?" the hyperactive heiress asked, voice shrill with excitement, remembering a particular fiasco from her childhood. Jane could feel her entire skull beginning to throb and she started to feel naseuous. A moment too late, Jane realized that the ground was coming toward her in a rush. _Not again!_ Was the last thought before the blackness consumed her once more.

**_A/N: I didn't mean to! I'm sorry! It's taken control of my fingers! They only do as ordered!_**

**_ PM me if you see any grammar mistakes._**

**_ I'm glad this has been getting positive reviews, but I've been putting off homework for FF so I might not update quite as soon next time. Much love for all of you! (Oh, and Jester was TOTALLY lying in chapter one when he said his affection is friendly. He clearly has the hots for Jane.)_**

**_One more thing: I'm changing the summary and trying to figure out what's wrong with Jane. Shay-na-na figured it out and won the "contest" so the rest of you can find out what it is next time I write a chapter._**


	5. Questioning

_**A/N: I just realized we've had a starvation of Dragon in this story... I'll have to write a side story to explain why! I'll tell you when it's uploaded. For now, you'll have to put up with a pathetic attempt to explain it here. Also, I'll be uploading Jester and the chamberlain's talk separately too, once I finish it. It's called Nerves.**_

_**Disclaimer: All of these lovely characters belong to Martin Baynton, the man whose brain I wish I had when it comes to creative thinking. **_

Questioning

"What do you mean, courting Jester?" Jane heard Rake ask. She groaned aloud, partially from the pain in her skull, partially from exasperation with Pepper. Jane knew Pepper meant well- when she shared secrets she did it out of excitement for her friends, not to harass and force judgment- but the woman really could not just keep quiet! _Good this Pepper is not the knight to be; she would never withstand torture should the occasion arise. She would not even make it to the chamber; she would share simply out of the kindness in her heart._ Jane felt her mouth twitch in dark mirth at the thought.

"Did you hear that?" Jane heard the young man say. Then she heard footsteps and a yell "I think she has awoken!" More footsteps echoed toward her, and a hand touched her arm where it lay atop her quilt.

"Jane? Are you awake?" Pepper asked softly. Pepper's voice was filled with concern, but touched on something far greater, like panic, or excitement.

Jane wanted only to whimper in response, but answered Pepper's question anyways, though refusing to open her eyes. "Yes, Pepper, I am awake. But if memory serves correctly, I fainted again," said Jane, the question in her tone rather than her words. A strong arm snaked under shoulder blades, lifting her upper body, and Jane felt a cup pressed to her lips. Jane inhaled Apollo's familiar scent of bark and berries, and felt the blood rush to her face, still refusing to open her eyes, fearing the pain.

"Yes, Jane, you did. Maggots, will you open your eyes?" He snapped. Jane blanched at the tone that was so unlike the boy's usual merry demeanor. Jane's eyes fluttered open and the light flooding her vision bit viciously at the pain surrounding the crown of her head. The squire immediately winced at the pain, but then pried her eyes open once again. Jane saw Pepper standing next to Rake at the foot of her bed, and looked up to her left, where the man she had agreed to court stood with a grimace on his tan, narrow features.

Jane was confused, to say the least. When she saw the tears in the eyes of the man supporting her, she could no longer contain the questions building up inside of her. "How long was I asleep? How did my father react? How did my mother react? Where is Dragon? Why are you angry?" And when Jane did not get a response, she asked one last question. "Why is no one answering me?"

Jane looked to the couple at the foot of her bed, then to the young man whose arm began shaking underneath her. "Please answer me." Jane whimpered, hating how weak she sounded. When the backs of her eyes began to prick, Jane wanted to scream in frustration. Or burst into tears.

"A week." Apollo snapped at her. He then sighed, leaned her back onto her pillow, and sat on the bed, head in his hands. He took a deep breath then looked at her again. "You did not wake up for a week. Dragon was anxious the first day, nearly violent the second. The third day we drugged him. Then on the fourth day, we went to get the wizard." The blue clad boy stopped, breathing through his nose for a moment. Jane saw Rake shudder and pull Pepper closer into his body. "The wizard said he knew what was wrong with you, but the medicine to fix it was at least a week's journey there, then a week's journey back. The king did not want to wait that long, so he asked Dragon to go." The jester stopped talking again, a grimace covering his face. "After some…_ persuasion_, Dragon decided to take the wizard and Gunther with him. They have been gone for three days now."

"My parents?" Jane whispered, afraid to speak too loudly and give away how tight her throat felt.

"Your parents are not here. They have been taking turns watching you, but your mother became delirious yesterday; she started shaking you and crying because you did not wake up. It was scary. Your father took her to the home your family owns in town, so she could get some rest." Pepper answered. Pepper looked up into the face of the man holding her. Jane saw the affection melt Pepper's features, and a barely subdued look of longing pass between the young couple. Jane was embarrassed , as though she had intruded on a private moment. "Rake and I have to go. We have things to discuss." Pepper said. Jane knew Pepper was lying through her teeth. From the looks on the men's faces, they could tell as well. None of the cook's friends argued though, and Pepper dragged Rake out the door without another word.

"You said the wizard knows what is wrong with me." Jane said. Her eyes felt as though they were about to pop out of her skull. She tried to blink but found that her eyes would widen again. Jane bit her lower lip, and felt the stinging at the back of her eyes start again. _Maggots! Even as a knight you will get sick. Stop acting like a child and face your illness. That is all it is. Illnesses can be overcome. _

"He said you were under extreme amounts of stress. I think the words he used were.. vazo vaj al sin copy?" Apollo stuttered. He shook his head, and the bells on his hat twinkled lightly. "It sounded kind of like that. Situational fainting caused you to faint. He said though, that the prolonged sleep was due to a problem in your heart. He has to get a special medicine to make sure you stop falling asleep because..." Jane saw that her best friend was clearly distressed. She took his hands in her own. He smiled tightly at her, "because if you continue to fall asleep then one day you may not wake up." Jane saw the terror on his face as clearly as it was surely splayed across her own. Jane then did the only thing she could think of to comfort her best friend or herself.

She embraced him. It was an awkward embrace, her leaning forward and hugging his shoulders as he tried to cling to her left arm.

Suddenly some instinct in her body kicked in; a primal need coursed through her veins. Jane crawled weakly out from under her blanket and sat abruptly in his lap, legs off of his left leg, rear end on his right thigh. She felt the blood rush to her face – _in what? Shame? Embarrassment? Excitement? _She wondered -but ignored it. She wrapped her arms around his torso, burying her face in the soft area next to his right arm. His arms tentatively wrapped around her as well, one surrounding her shoulders, and the other around her waist, pulling her into him.

Her heart was pounding; her thoughts were a jumbled mess; her eyes no longer stung at the back with tears because they were now pouring down her face. All of these Jane noted fearfully, but somehow, the squire felt better wrapped in his arms. She knew it was because she could feel his heart pounding against her cheek. She could feel his breath, hot and uneven, on her neck. She could feel his arms shaking. Then, she felt the tears on her neck and swallowed back a sob. _You will not cry, you are a knight; you will not cry. _

Then it happened; the world started to spin and her vision started to swim with dots. Since her eyes were focused on the blue of Apollo's sleeve, the spots seemed dark and angry like bees. Jane knew what was coming. She had to warn Jester…. APOLLO. She had to warn Apollo

"Jester? I mean… I… I do not… Jester, catch me!" Jane pleaded, the darkness consuming her again.

_**A/N: MAGGOTS! Yeah, yeah yeah. I have to end this sometime -_-**_

_**The plotbunnies were attacking me; it's not my fault!**_

_**Ok. It's vasovagal syncope. Yay, Shay-na-na! Except I gave her a heart condition. Feel free to hate me now.**_

_**I feel like everybody is spiralling OOC, except maybe Rake. (Thank you, Rakie-poo!) (That's Pepper's secret nickname for him. He thinks it's absurd since he already goes by a nickname, but Pepper is the queen of odd nicknames. And he loves her so he doesn't complain. Except if she accidentally says it when ANY other human can hear it.)**_


	6. Medicine and Healing

_**If these characters were mine, and I was a man, and old, I would be Martin Baynton. But, seeing as how I'm neither a man, nor old, we can conclude that I am NOT Martin Baynton and therefore do not own these characters.**_

Medicine and Healing

Come now, Jane, take the medicine.

_Just sit up, Petal. You only need a little of the elixir; now here is some water, can you take a sip? There, you can lie back down again._

Oh Please, please Lord, please let her wake up. Oh, please… Oh, please...

**Come now, frog rider. Why have you not awoken yet? Are you that scared to spar me?**

Jane? My child, I had never been more proud of you than when you went to fight Dragon. I was so scared, though. I was scared you would get hurt. Then, you started training and my fears shifted. Only a month ago, you were ever closer to being a knight, mere weeks to go until you swore your oath. And do you know what is amazing? Our kind King Caradoc has decided that despite your illness, if you have awoken by the time scheduled to knight you and Gunther, he will not prolong it. He says you have had the heart of a knight since you ever became a squire, only learning how to use it to honor your king.

The most terrifying thing as your father is no longer you being a knight; I would as much worry about you walking. Now, dear child, I am scared for your future as a woman. At the beginning of this fiasco, Jester came to me. He asked if he may have permission to court you. To make a long, tedious, and probably slightly painful story short, I eventually gave him permission to have your hand should the situation arise. I probably should apologize for that, seeing as how it is your hand he requested and I am only your father, but if it had to be any of the boys of the castle; it was going to be him.

I love you dearly Jane. I know I should have waited to tell you these things until you were awake; indeed, I shall have your friends inform you when you wake up of what I told you. Sleep well child, but please wake up.

"Father?" Jane asked, struggling to wake as one would struggle to swim through tar. She had to wake up, her father was begging. The pleading, from her strong, studious father was too much to bear. She had to wake up, to thank him for giving Jester permission.

"Jane?"

At once, Jane felt warm arms around her, heard her father shouting "SHE HAS AWOKEN. COME QUICKLY! JANE IS AWAKE!" On her cheek, Jane felt a warm wetness; tears, belonging both to her father and her.

A voice Jane had not heard in a long time came from her window, "Jane! Are you done falling asleep? Can we go see the cows now? Are you well enough to see the cows?"

"Green lips!" Jane laughed, finding it easier to breathe when she saw Dragon. She was about to nod her consent to a day trip with her friend, only to be interrupted by an unfamiliar deep voice in the corner of the room.

"She cannot go out yet, high flyer. She needs to recover; though the elixir we found works miracles, the body must provide its own support for her health." As the mysterious man spoke, Jane took in every detail of the man's features and clothes. Dragon nodded, and promptly turned and fell asleep.

He was tall, taller than even Magnus, with long, unruly curls; indeed, the only difference between her hair and his was the color: his hair was black streaked with grey, as Sir Theodore's had been when Jane began her training. He had features much like Apollo's, though not as tan. His eyes were the same stormy blue grey, and though the man had wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, he did not appear old. He wore a long robe that looked like he had cut it from the night sky, with a midnight blue background and silver, tiny, embroidered stars. The robe was belted around the man's middle with a silver belt made of chain link that had pouches and pockets hanging from it.

"Sir," The chamberlain began, and for some reason this bothered Jane. _Sir? Why is father calling the man sir? Is he a knight?_ "Do you think my daughter will be able to return soon to normal life?" Jane's father looked up expectantly, grabbing Jane's hand from where it rested on the quilt.

"Well, it honestly depends on how well she recovers from this-" The man in the corner began. He was interrupted by the loud crash from the door banging into the wall from the force with which it was pushed open.

"JANE!" Everyone surely heard the loud cry. Suddenly, the young woman felt herself pulled forcefully into a warm, tight, long embrace. After a moment, Jane realized it was the court jester embracing her and wrapped her arms possessively around his strong torso. She felt a warm wetness penetrating her night gown at her shoulder. A prickle announced itself as Jane realized that it was caused by the boy sobbing unashamedly in her arms. She could hear him whispering "Do not ever leave me again. I love you too much." Only he was so quiet that only Jane had a hope of hearing.

"My boy, she will be fine now. Just a little time and your girl will be right as rain" the tall man said, walking towards the bed, hand outstretched toward Apollo. With a speed Jane would have given her left hand for, the young man moved out of the reach of the man, whom Jane was beginning to think was probably the castle wizard. The man –wizard?- backed into the corner again, and Apollo sat at the foot of Jane's bed.

"Of course she will; this is Jane you are speaking of." A soft voice affirmed. Pepper entered the room with a tray that held a bowl, a cup, and a small biscuit. "Some soup for the lady knight" Pepper said, winking at Jester as she walked to Jane's side. "Only broth; I shan't risk more until you are better." Pepper chattered on as Jane ate, encouraged by the squire's appetite. Taking the trays from Jane, Pepper waved away the thanks she attempted." Tomorrow night, perhaps, we may have some pear petal pudding! Or… Oh, excuse me..." With that, the young brunette ran from the room, one hand holding the tray, the other over her mouth.

"Pepper?" Jane asked, confused

"She will _also_ be just fine. I may need to mix up something for her morning sickness though. Pregnancy is such a bother." The tall man said, walking to the door.

_Oh, of course._ Jane thought That made total sense. Jane winced in empathy.

"Thank you, Sir …Wizard?" the chamberlain said, the confusion evident in his voice as to how exactly to address the man. He turned to Jane, mouthing 'Pregnant?' She nodded, and he looked back at the door.

The jester said nothing, turning only a hard glare at the wizard. Jane could not help but to feel slightly proud for deducing who the odd man was. Now she just needed to understand Apollo's animosity towards him. Why on earth was he being so cold towards the man?

Jane's father turned to her, a question in his eyes. "How _are_ you, Jane?"

"I feel quite well, Father. A little overwhelmed, but not ill; I think, however, that I should get some proper rest."

"Yes, the wizard said you would feel tired. Shall we leave you?" Jane's father indicated with his words that Jester would have to leave as well; both young adults caught on.

"In a moment, Chamberlain." Apollo said pleadingly. The older man nodded, going to stand by the door. The blond pulled his hat off, sat next to Jane, and leaned his forehead against hers. Jane could feel her father's disapproving glare but neither moved.

"I," the jester began, swallowing audibly "I was so scared. You did not sleep as long this time, only 4 days, but each day you did not wake up was another day I spent in terror. You are supposed to be knighted in 3 days. The king promised he will knight you despite your poor health, especially since you are recovering." Apollo let out a shaky breath, then continued. "I promised myself I would wait until after you were knighted to ask for permission to court you, but I could not wait. I already asked your father, as you said to,"

Jane interrupted, "I know, he told me."

Apollo smiled; Jane could feel his face move through the contact of their foreheads. The blue clad man asked "And he told you his answer?"

"I think he said yes?" Jane answered timidly, painfully aware of how close the Jester's lips were. To reach out and kiss him once more… _it would not be proper. Not yet._

"He said I can request your hand, if I feel the courage to do so. Also, he told me that if I was to marry you, I would have to be aware of your stubbornness, and of your inability to do as told; essentially he told me you would be an unconventional wife." Jane felt him chuckle. "I told him I have known that since we first met." Jane suddenly felt her face flush- how long had Apollo loved her?

A _harrumph_ broke the spell. Jane felt her- what? Was he her betrothed? - pull away, and wrap his left arm behind her. He guided her back until her head rested on her pillow.

As her father blew out the candles on the other side of the room, Jane felt warm lips press a kiss to her forehead, "Until the morning, my love."

El Fin

_**I'm finally done! So… I did post a different version of Chapter 6, but a loyal fan/friend/fanficcer smacked some sense into me (not literally, she isn't abusive) and I took it down and fixed it. If you saw the other one, I apologize. Here is the proper ending. Also, soon to come: **_

_**Nerves-Jester & Chamberlain's talk**_

_**Elixir-Dragon's journey with the Wizard**_

_**Wizard(s)(?)-Who the wizard is in THIS continuity. And why Jester hates him.**_

_**All of these will be marked +Sleepless Continuity+**_


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